Steve Tucker's preps notebook

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90-year streak ends

You might not have noticed, but La Salle-Peru recently made history by beating perennial state football power Geneseo for the first time since 1919, when Woodrow Wilson was president, a new automobile cost $826 and the average income was $1,125 a year.

Jack Steele kicked a 25-yard field goal with 12 seconds to play as L-P won 38-36.

In good hands

Riverside-Brookfield’s Mark McDonagh, the leading pass receiver in the nation, according to Maxpreps, has caught 143 passes for 1,373 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games. He has set state and national records for receptions in a season. But he won’t catch Mike Pilger of Sacred Heart-Griffin, who accounted for 2,241 yards in 1994.

A key decision

St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said junior running back Jahwon Akui, who was sidelined last week with a sprained ankle, will play in the final regular-season game Saturday at Loyola ‘‘if he is ready to go, but he must be 100 percent to play.’’

In seven games, Akui has rushed 186 times for 1,424 yards (7.66 per carry) and scored 25 touchdowns.

Juniors to watch

Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken has two of the best junior prospects in the area, and both have good bloodlines. They are WR DaVaris Daniels, whose father, Philip, played for the Bears, and RB Tim Spencer, whose father, Tim, played at Ohio State and is the Bears’ running backs coach. Daniels has offers from Illinois, Miami, Wisconsin and Nebraska and Spencer from Wisconsin and Nebraska.

All-America hopeful

Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, who originally nominated DE Chance Carter of Loyola, TE C.J. Fiedorowicz of Johnsburg, WR Kyle Prater of Proviso West and S Corey Cooper of Proviso East to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio in January, is hoping to add DL Bruce Gaston of St. Rita to the game.

Pairings show

The Illinois High School Association’s football playoff pairings will be announced live at 8 p.m. Saturday on CN 100, RCN 34 and WOW Ch. 14 in the city and Ch. 15 in the suburbs.

Bears Coach of the Week

George Czart of Lincoln-Way North was named the Chicago Bears High School Coach of the Week after his team qualified for the playoffs after finishing 0-9 in 2008, the school’s first in football.